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{{short description|Defunct ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom}}{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}

factoids

|minister1_name = |minister1_pfo = |chief1_name = |chief1_position = |chief2_name =|chief2_position =|child1_agency = Companies House|child2_agency = HM Land Registry|child3_agency = Insolvency ServiceIntellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)>Intellectual Property Office|child5_agency = Met Office|child6_agency = National Measurement and Regulation Office|child7_agency = Skills Funding Agency|child8_agency = UK Space Agency|website = www.gov.uk/bis|footnotes =}}{{PoliticsUK}}The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It was created by the Gordon Brown premiership on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. It was disbanded by the Rishi Sunak premiership on the creation of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 14 July 2016.Prime Minister's Office: Changes to the machinery of Government {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608051333weblink |date=8 June 2009 }}

Secretaries of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

{| class="wikitable"! colspan=2|Name! Portrait! width=130|Took office! width=130|Left office! Length of term! Political party! colspan=2|Prime Minister! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |The Lord Mandelson60px)| 5 June 2009| 11 May 20105 June 2009|11 May 2010}}Labour Party (UK)>Labour! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" || Gordon Brown! style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}" |Vince Cable60px)| 12 May 2010| 12 May 201512 May 2010|12 May 2015}}Liberal Democrats (UK)>Liberal Democrats! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |David Cameron(Cameron–Clegg coalition>Coalition)! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |Sajid Javid60px)| 12 May 2015| 14 July 201611 May 2015|14 July 2016}}Conservative party (UK)>Conservative! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |David Cameron(Second Cameron ministry>II)The Permanent Secretary was Sir Martin Donnelly.

Responsibilities

Some policies apply to England alone due to devolution, while others are not devolved and therefore apply to other nations of the United Kingdom. The department was responsible for UK Government policy in the following areas:WEB,weblink Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 12 September 2012, gov.uk, 2016-07-18,

• business regulation and support
• company law
• competition
• consumer affairs
• corporate governance
• employment relations
• export licensing
• further education
• higher education
• innovation
• insolvency
• intellectual property
• outer space
• postal affairs
• regional and local economic development
• science and research
• skills
• trade
• training

Devolution

Economic policy is mostly devolved but several important policy areas are reserved to Westminster. Further and higher education policy is mostly devolved. Reserved and excepted matters are outlined below.ScotlandReserved matters:WEB,weblink Scotland Act 1998, Schedule 5, Part II, Opsi.gov.uk, 2012-12-04,

• Competition
• Customer protection
• Import and export control
• Insolvency
• Intellectual property
• Outer space
• Postal services
• Product standards, safety and liability
• Research councils
• Telecommunications
• Time
• Business associations
• Weights and measures in relation to goods

The Scottish Government Economy and Education Directorates handle devolved economic and further and higher education policy respectively.Northern IrelandReserved matters:WEB,weblink Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3, Opsi.gov.uk, 1998-06-25, 2012-12-04,

• Consumer safety in relation to goods
• Import and export controls, external trade
• Intellectual property
• Postal services
• Telecommunications
• Units of measurement

Excepted matter:WEB,weblink Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 2, Opsi.gov.uk, 1998-06-25, 2012-12-04,

• outer space

The department's main counterparts are:WEB,weblink Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999, Opsi.gov.uk, 2012-10-05, 2012-12-04,

• Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (general economic policy)
• Department for Employment and Learning (employment relations, further and higher education policy)

WalesUnder the Welsh devolution settlement, specific policy areas are transferred to the Welsh Government rather than reserved to Westminster.{{expand section|date=June 2010}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

• {{official websiteweblink}}
• weblink" title="webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121021100513weblink">bis.gov.uk/ Archived Website

Precursor departments:

• weblink" title="webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090505150736weblink">Department for Business and Regulatory Reform (BERR) Archived Website
• weblink" title="webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090506145815weblink">Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) Archived Website

{{Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy}}{{Departments of the United Kingdom Government|type=autocat off}}